September 12, 2012

Empty Promises

After listening to some of the speeches given at the recent political conventions, I was struck by how far the discourse has strayed from its original purpose — explaining why we should hire that particular candidate.

Being a business manager for almost 3 decades, I have interviewed a number of people for job openings.

My first review item is their professional resume where I seek to understand what relevant background they possess.

It is only after they pass that first phase, that I sit face-to-face and ask them questions to determine if they have the requisite experience, intelligence, and motivation to be successful at the pending job.

I apply that same process when considering who I will vote to hire to serve our country's interest at the local, state, and national level.

When I did that "resume review" for Barack Obama in 2007, it was obvious to me that he lacked the relevant background for the job as President.

In 2007, he campaigned on promises, in 2012 all I'm hearing is the same empty rhetoric. It appears that almost 4 years of on-the-job training has not enhanced Mr. Obama's resume.

In contrast, I find extensive relevant experience defined in Romney's and Ryan's resumes.

I heard several speakers at the Republican convention describe their own credentials, earned through life experiences that qualified them to speak for these candidates. And both candidates described prior accomplishments that qualified them for consideration for the job they seek.

At the Democrat Convention, I heard attack after attack on others vying for the job but what I did not hear was anyone describing the relevant credentials of their candidate.

I did hear Mr. Obama's feel-good bloviating and his plea for more time to fix the problems he inherited that he could not fix because of gridlock in Congress.

He failed to mention that his lack of leadership was a fundamental cause of that gridlock. He also failed to introduce any substantive material on past accomplishments relevant to the job he seeks.

I heard nothing of substance that would make me consider hiring him for any managerial job, much less President of our United States of America.

Rex A. Hoover
Sumerduck